Meet GRP's New Programs Director!

Hello GRPeople!

My name is Walter, and I’m excited to be joining the GRP team as the Programs Director for our Summer Camp and SEE programs. I’m already inspired by the people who make GRP such a magical place and feel incredibly grateful to be part of it.

I spent the first fifteen years of my life in Central Mexico, growing up at an adventure camp where my parents worked. I became completely obsessed with local wildlife, spending my free time observing everything from pygmy owls and boa constrictors to the elusive ocelot.

I returned to the United States to attend Appalachian State University, where I earned a B.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology. Throughout college, I spent my summers working at a small camp in Bostic, NC, serving in roles from camp counselor to Assistant Director.

During that time, I worked alongside the camp director’s daughter, Amy—who somehow managed to amaze me every single day. We were married soon after graduation and spent the next five years traveling and working in seasonal outdoor education and camp leadership roles across Georgia, California, Hawaii, and New York.

Amy and I are now happily settling down in beautiful Western North Carolina near our family. I remain deeply fascinated by the ecology around us, with a special love for salamanders and fungi, and I’m always working to sharpen my identification skills. Most of all, I’m passionate about the amazing impact camp experiences can have on campers, staff, families, and everyone who comes through GRP. I am especially drawn to the unique mission of inspiring environmental stewards through a joyful connection to nature here at GRP. I believe that rich experiences in nature lead to learning about the world around us and once we know our environment we can begin to care for it correctly. I’m excited to bring the best pieces of every previous program I have worked with and fit them to the mission and vision of GRP.